Edward the Martyr

Edward "the Martyr" (962-18 March 978) was the king of England from 975 to 978, succeeding Edgar of England and preceding Aethelred the Unready.

Biography
Edward was born in 962, the oldest son of King Edgar of England. He was not the acknowledged heir of his father, and he competed with his brother Aethelred the Unready for control of England, with Archbishop Dunstan of Canterbury and Oswald of Worcester assisting Edward and having him crowned. Civil war almost broke out when Ealdorman Aelfhere of Mercia and Ealdorman Aethelwine of East Anglia quarreled, and in 978 Edward was killed by his brother's advisers as he dismounted his horse at Corfe Castle. His brief reign ended after three years of warfare, and he was succeeded by his killer.